5 Secrets to Profitable Print Marketing Small Businesses Can Use
In this guide, we'll go through some of the top print marketing tactics used by some of the world's largest brands—and show you how to implement these strategies yourself.
Today, most businesses are going digital, so why wouldn't you? There are many advantages to printing marketing materials, and you can see why.
First, you can create your own print ads. You can even use your own design. Second, you can target specific customers. Print marketing is a great way to promote your brand and drive sales.
Print marketing is cheaper than other forms of marketing. You can create an ad with a lower price and still be able to attract more customers.
Third, you can get creative with print ads. You can use your creativity to bring in new clients.
Fourth, print ads are powerful. They can convey more information than your website can. When customers read your print ads, they will remember more information about your products and services.
Fifth, you can be creative with your print ads. You can offer free shipping, discounts, coupons, and other incentives.
Sixth, print ads have a longer shelf life. They can stay in the printer longer, which means you will get more bang for your buck. Print ads are also printed on durable paper, making them last longer. This can also mean less waste for you.
If you aren't using print ads, now is the time to change that. Print advertising is inexpensive and powerful. If you aren't using print advertising, you miss ample opportunity. Start using print ads today.
In this article, I will share 5 easy ways to enable your small business to benefit from print marketing.
Table of Contents
What is print marketing?
Print marketing is simply advertising done through a medium other than digital media. So what does that mean exactly? Well, print marketing can include anything from direct mail pieces to direct mailers, brochures, ads in print publications, and print advertisements placed within other media. All of those are part of the print marketing umbrella.
So what are some examples of print marketing? Well, think about this: You've just bought a new car, and you want to tell people about it. How do you go about it? You could place an ad in your local newspaper, place a direct mail piece in the mailbox, or place an advertisement within the local car magazine. All of those are forms of print marketing.
Why should I use print marketing?
Many people have forgotten how powerful print marketing is, so if you haven't yet figured out why you should be using it, now's a good time to start paying attention.
Print is still one of the most effective methods to generate brand awareness and capture people's attention who contact your business or organisation. But that's only half the story.
One of the advantages of print media, whether it's magazines, newspapers, books, or catalogues, is its ability to provide real-time results. Using this medium, you can test ideas and concepts to see if they are genuinely effective—before investing in production costs. Because of this, print marketing is a great starting point for any new business.
How is it different from online marketing?
Print marketing is very different from online advertising. One of the significant differences is that print ads are longer and have a higher cost per impression. Another is that they are more of a one-shot deal.
Print ads are usually targeted to specific geographic areas, and there's only a certain amount of inventory to go around. Most advertisers need to be very careful about how much they spend and which markets they target.
On the other hand, online advertising is more targeted, and because of the ability to re-target ads, online campaigns can be much more focused and have better ROI than print ads.
How to choose a print media source that's right for you
When it comes to print marketing, it's helpful to think about where your target audience is likely to be. This gives you a point of view from which to talk about your brand and your products.
You want to choose a format that is appropriate for your audience. This is true for both online and print. An audience that is more comfortable with online marketing may be more comfortable with a website than a magazine, and vice versa.
The big issue with print is its relatively short shelf life. If you're thinking about print marketing, you need to think about how long you will want to market to your customers.
The ideal length of time for a campaign in print is three to six months. If you're looking to do a longer-term campaign, you may want to consider something like radio, television, or the internet instead.
5 Print Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
Print marketing is still alive and well, especially if you're starting. “It's great for building awareness about your company,” says Michaela DeSarno, owner of the New York-based advertising agency DeSarno & Associates. “You're limited in where you can go, but you have to go directly into them if you want to capture new audiences.”
1 – Create Print Advertising Copy That Sells
In print advertising, copywriters often get caught up in the fact that they don't have to “tell” their audience what to do; they need to “sell” them.
So they create persuasive, engaging, and entertaining copy to encourage readers to take some action. But if they aren't careful, they can wind up creating a boring message.
Here are a few ways to make your print copy more compelling:
- Show and tell. In most cases, what you show rather than what you say is the best way to make your point.
- Make the reader think. When you can add something to someone's thought process, you're on your way to making them think, feel, or act.
- Make it visual. If there's one thing that's true about print advertising, pictures sell.
- Include a call to action. The one thing a consumer wants from a print ad is to do something — such as buy something, respond to a survey, read an article, or sign up for a mailing list. Use the word “call” or “click” if it applies.
You may not know much about advertising, but if you want to learn how to write advertisements, you should find an ad agency that specialises in this type of writing.
There are many agencies out there. Make sure you find one that is reputable. Ask them if they can provide you with samples of their work. Once you have decided which company you would like to work with, it's time to ask them if you can come in and meet the person who is responsible for writing your ads. This will allow you to ask them questions.
If you feel comfortable talking to them, you can ask them if they have any other types of jobs for you to do. It's possible that they can offer you other types of jobs, so make sure you talk to them about this. If you like the way they present themselves and the type of work, it's probably a good idea for you to hire them.
2 – Find Your Audience
Finding the right audience for a printed piece, like a magazine, is similar to finding the right audience for a blog. But you'll also want to think about whether it's best to aim your printed piece at a specific group or all groups.
The latter approach will work best if your printed piece is something like an informative business flyer that will appeal to all of your customers.
Print advertising can be a great way to target a specific demographic. Whether you want to reach young parents, business owners or even your local community, you can easily find the information you need online.
Your ads will get more attention than if you target the entire population by targeting a specific group of people.
3 – Design a Powerful Ad Campaign
It's vital that you develop a message that effectively reaches your target market. While it's helpful to have some product or service that you sell, print advertising is a great way to reach people who are not necessarily interested in your product. Some great tips include creating a powerful headline, using attractive images, and being straightforward.
If the audience is highly engaged and interested in the subject matter of your ad, you have a high chance of generating good results.
The audience needs to feel that there's some urgency to the message. That's because the best advertisements have a feeling of urgency. They're persuasive because they're designed to persuade consumers to act in a specific way.
Many different print marketing campaigns have succeeded in getting your message across. But there is one thing that every print ad campaign should have. That's creativity. Creativity is a tool that every advertiser must master. If you're going to put your money into print ads, you need to make sure you're making a creative decision that has a clear target audience in mind.
4 – Launch Your Print Ads
Launching your print marketing campaign can be tricky because many people expect advertising to be just like any other part of marketing.
But if you think of print ads as simply a part of your overall marketing mix and not something separate from your other tactics, then your print ads can make a big difference to your business.
There are many ways to test your ad campaign: some businesses find that their ads are more effective when they have a clear call to action, such as “Order now!” or “Book now!”.
Other businesses find that their ads work better when they use a call to action that's a bit more subtle, such as “Buy now!” or “Order online now!”
When it comes to printing your advertisement, the choice is yours. You can either choose black and white printing or full-colour printing. You can choose between two-colour printing, four-colour printing, and full-colour printing.
If you are in the business of selling your products or services, then you should opt for the best quality printing. Black and white printing is usually the cheapest type, but it doesn't offer a very professional image. On the other hand, full-colour printing will cost more than black and white. So, choose the best quality, and you'll be pleased with your results.
5 – Measure and Optimise Your Print Advertising
Print ads are great for grabbing attention, but they're not the easiest way to generate leads. They're one of the least effective ways to drive traffic to your website.
Many variables influence the effectiveness of print ads, including budget size, publication size, and placement.
To maximise your ROI, you should place print marketing in publications where readers are most likely to respond to your message and where you are most likely to convert to a lead.
Ad agencies use conversion tracking to analyse which ads are getting the highest response rates. They also use this information to determine which ads are best for their clients. They also find out which message, or text, is best for the products or services.
Once they know which message works well with their target audience, they can use that same message in all of their print advertisements. By doing this, they will ensure that they are reaching the right people, and they will be able to create a more successful campaign.
Conclusion
Even though print marketing was once a significant force, it has declined due to a shift to online marketing, mobile, and social media.
Most small businesses have only scratched the surface of leveraging print marketing effectively, even though it is still one of the best ways to get the word out about your brand.
It works for local and national businesses alike and can generate new leads and sales for years. If you're looking to take your marketing to the next level, you can't afford to ignore print.
With these five secrets to profitable print marketing, you'll be ready to take your print campaign to the next level.
